I don't think we're in España anymore!

Hey guys,

A lot has gone on since I last posted! Valentine's Day, or "San Valentin" was fine. It's not like I really have someone to celebrate it with, but still. What evs. I wore red anyways! Saturday (the 18th) was Carnaval in San Pedro! If you have no idea what Carnaval is, don't feel bad -- the the closest thing the US has to it is Mardi Gras, which really isn't Carnaval. Here's how Wikipedia explains it: 

"Traditionally during Lent, no parties or other celebrations were held, and people refrained from eating rich foods, such as meat, dairy, fats and sugar. The forty days of Lent, recalling the Gospel accounts of the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, serve to mark an annual time of turning. In the days before Lent, all rich food and drink had to be disposed of. The consumption of this, in a giant party that involved the whole community, is thought to be the origin of Carnival."

Eventually, Italy decided they were going to have parades for this celebration, then a lot of Europe decided to copy Italy, then Latin America joined in too. Now, the most famous celebration of Carnaval is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (you know, like the movie Rio?). People dress up in costumes, have parades, and go out dancing.

In San Pedro, we had a parade in the evening (it was comparable to Newton's 4th of July parade). After that, we went to the main plaza en town for some dinner and dancing! As you can see, I went as a cabaret dancer!

Julianna, Juanfe, and me

Most of us who dressed up!
Ainoah, Ricky, Enrique, me, José, Sergio, Juan, Julianna, Alfonso, Andrea, Alejandro, and Juanfe

I'll try to post some more pictures on Facebook soon!


As some of you may know, I just got back from Ireland on Monday! My host family went there for the weekend with another family who has a 12-year-old son living there for the year to learn English. We also took along my host cousin, Maria, who is 11 and may be going to Ireland to learn English next year. We left Friday morning and after arriving in Dublin, went to the city we'd be staying in called Bray, an hour or so from the airport. In Bray, I felt like I had stepped back in time or something. The architecture somewhat reminded me of Pella (which isn't much of a surprise, since Holland is just a hop over). We were right on the ocean, and there was a little mountain right by the hotel. Everything was so cute that at times, I wondered how people actually lived their lives there. It seemed so unreal! The actual city where Pablo (the other family's son) lives is Greystones, which is only 5 miles from Bray. The truth is that Bray and Greystones mix together in my mind since they're so close, so I may be giving descriptions for one that is actually the other. Greystones had that small-town feel like Newton. I really enjoyed it. Anyways though, on Friday we spent the day exploring, eating in, and enjoying Bray and Greystones.

Bray

Juan, Me, Ana, Mami, her husband [I'm so bad with names!], and Javi in Bray

View from the hotel window

Me, Maria, and Javi in Greystones

On Saturday we went to a medieval city called Kilkenny. We visited a castle, ate in a restaurant that was once the house of a witch, and enjoyed exploring about the charming streets. I really liked Kilkenny.

Kilkenny :)

Part of the CASTLE that we toured!

"Family photo" outside of the castle

On Sunday we took the train to Dublin! It was such a pretty city. Upon arriving, we went on one of those tour buses that you can sit up on the top of and I couldn't help but feel like Amanda Bynes in What a Girl Wants. Dublin has beautiful parks, many pubs and Guinness beer (well, I guess all of Ireland has the Guinness), and many charming bridges. One can feel the history strolling through the streets and it's quite beautiful.

Maria, Javi, Pablo, and me in front of Dublin's most famous Pub, The Temple Bar

Dublin Bridges :)

In the tour bus!

SO. MUCH. GUINNESS. (I actually didn't care for the stuff.)

Did I mention all the Rugby?

Overall -- the landscape, the people, the food, more -- Ireland seemed like home (like Iowa) much more than Spain does. There were fields and pick-up trucks, and country music, and I loved it. Going to another country and seeing how different it is from the other two I already know only makes me want to visit more of the world so much more! Our mini-vacation to Ireland was awesome, but I sure wish that my real family could've been there too. Experiences like this are so amazing, but I wish they were to share it with. Lately I've been really homesick. The past two/three weeks have been a "low." I'm learning such much about myself and the world here, but I miss home. I miss my family and eating dinner with them and spending hours talking with my sister and wrestling with my brother. I miss having my best friends and having sleepovers and actually succeeding in school. I miss not having to strategize how I go about each day since I'm learning a new language! I miss the familiar and feeling like I know who I am, and being accepted as normal person into friends, family, culture, instead of as "the American." 


Some days, I have no idea what I'm doing here, but then I remind myself: You're in Spain. You are living the experience of a lifetime that no one will ever be able to take away from you. You are making friends and family that you'll have for the rest of your life. You're also learning Spanish, which will come in pretty handy in the future. You'll be able to chat with everyone at La Cabaña when you get back home -- that'll be so cool! You may not know who you are now, but you're growing up this year; the person you leave as will be stronger, smarter, and able to do anything after this challenging year. You're becoming more globally-minded, and traveling the world like you've always wanted to. Yeah this year is hard, but aren't you always asking for a challenge? Time is too short not to enjoy this. Live in the moment; make a difference.


Well, there is my pep-talk.  I've got to go for some Skype time with my mom now!


Hugs and Kisses,
Josie